Emotional Cruiser's definitions

repertoire

A collection or set of skills, behaviors, or activities that someone is capable of or accustomed to using.

By introducing video games to your child’s play repertoire, you are creating more work for yourself. There will be more limits to hold.

by Emotional Cruiser November 15, 2025

congyang

A term for an alcoholic drink disguised as Marjan syrup, often consumed by Muslims who typically abstain from alcohol. This drink allows individuals to enjoy the social aspects of drinking without openly violating cultural or religious norms.

At the gathering, everyone thought they were sipping Marjan syrup, but I discovered it was actually congyang!

by Emotional Cruiser July 24, 2025

Osborne effect

Adam Osbourne, founder of Osborne Computers which made the first successful portable computer, made announcements about new computers that were still in the prototype stage. So people stopped buying their existing product, Osborne Computing failed by 1985, and they became a footnote in computer history. This blunder is how the "Osborne effect" got its name.

After announcing their next-gen gaming console too early, the company experienced the Osborne effect, as sales of their current model plummeted and fans lost interest.

by Emotional Cruiser November 5, 2025

miracle

The slang term "miracle" refers to the retirees' ability to have hours of recreational screen time from as early as the afternoon of the same day they've been rude to people in the morning, whereas the behavior requirements to get (extra hours of) recreational screen time are stricter in teenagers and young adults.

It's a true miracle how retirees can dive into hours of screen time by the afternoon after being rude in the morning, while we teenagers have to jump through hoops just to earn a little leisure!

by Emotional Cruiser November 9, 2025

intuition

That one brain part that constantly figures out the behavior requirement to get more screen time from your parents, even though such extra screen time allotment eventually turns out not to be on offer

My intuition told me exactly how to charm my parents into giving me more screen time, but in the end, it was just wishful thinking—turns out the extra hours were never really on the table!

by Emotional Cruiser September 30, 2025

Helvetica syndrome

The phenomenon during the mid to late 1990's where newly created fonts at the time, like Arial Rounded, Comic Sans MS, FF Dax, FF Meta, Fira Sans, Tahoma, Verdana, were used on publications and advertising materials as an epitome of modernity

You could see Helvetica syndrome in action everywhere in the late 1990s, with designers ditching traditional fonts for trendy options like Comic Sans and Verdana to give their work a fresh, modern vibe!

by Emotional Cruiser September 23, 2025

out-house caffeine effect

The phenomenon where coffee drinks ordered whilst eating out, have more caffeine* — to the point that their caffeine content is as kicking as that of Tombocantuxin caffeine pills

*compared to coffee drinks (of same serving size) served at homes

After downing that ice cappucino at the café, I felt the "out-house caffeine effect" kick in—way stronger than my usual brew at home.

by Emotional Cruiser October 17, 2025